Tag: skateboarding

It is no secret that we have a special place in our hearts for Vienna, from the Turtles to Louis Marschall and Toni Donau we love to support the city that once together with Budapest was at the top of Europe. Now the power might have been redistributed but the city remains one of the best ones to skate in and even though they have the lovely Jan Federer working hard on his ABD mag it is nice to give some extra support isn’t it!

Intro by Roland Hoogwater.
Text and photos via Yama.
Edit by Paul Labadi.

This video shows that YAMA SKATEBOARDS although never gone, yet still returned! The video stars the whole YAMA family including senior members like Muki Rüstig and Mr. Spettel! But it also doesn’t exclude some new faces like Gabs, Nele, and our all-time biggest YAMA friend FUXL! Altogether this project shows that our YAMA vibe is as seductive as it has ever been: no glamor, no fuss.. only good, quality-time skateboarding.

Leon Charo-Tite is our next "Unsigned Hype" and he is from Freiburg/Germany and that part of his heritage can be an issue. Many have gotten stamped and sidelined as the "German Skater". To our U.S. audience, that's kind of like being stamped Canadian or Brazillian in the early 2000's.

We love John Motta’s skating, we even wrote him a love letter back in the day. In our opinion, he is an early influence on people like Kevin Rodrigues & a son of skaters like Louie Barletta.

Anyway, to conclude, this part is a true return to form with an ender reminiscent of his first AHM part.

It was about a year ago that Stepan Bares sent us his last full part filmed mostly in Prague.

Now, 12-months later we get a follow up to that video but this time we get him and the homies and not only Prague but Split, Bratislava, Budapest & Vienna. It is great to see pockets of quality developing further and we can’t wait to see what comes after this. Enjoy!

Hello and welcome.

If you have made it here you are in for a treat, an old skool dish refined to fit today’s tastes.

“What do you mean?!”

Well, this isn’t your normal online video premiere this is an experience created to mirror our childhood experience of gathering your friends, grabbing the DVD cover, getting some popcorn and soda’s, on the couch and finally pressing your hear the disc slowly turning…

But… instead, this is 2019 and your remote has turned into your mouse and your TV into Youtube! So grab some popcorn, gather some friends, airplay this on your big screen, click play first and then the thumbnails by using your mouse or trackpad to navigate yourselves through this wonderful experience. Enjoy!

BTW Start with the main feature first you freak!!!

Elijah Berle has gone through many phases from his emo the smiths look all the way to his current look which feels like an in-between version of a skater and a fan of DIY cowboy culture we didn’t know what to expect.

Frontside Tailslide, Peter Buikema
Frontside Tailslide, Peter Buikema

A couple of years back, Gilbert Crockett explained to us his shoes were inspired by early 1900’s sports shoes. A fact which makes a lot of sense because of his affection for thrift shopping.

We all know that when it comes to designing shoes that it can be a difficult, long and tedious process at times. I mean if you would get the opportunity to do everything what would you choose?

Front Feeble, Peter Buikema
Front Feeble, Peter Buikema

Durability, stability, board feel, cupsole, vulcanized, a slim silhouette or a bulky shoe? And what about the materials and the sort of shoe? A dress shoe, a basketball shoe some wallabies or a cowboy boot can most likely all lead to your first pro-model.

I the end, Elijah Berle made it through and created a very solid shoe, one that we believe will be on peoples feet for a while. The shoe simply looks nice, not too bulky not to slim and with a special cupsole construction that promises to combine board feel with protection and durability.

Sad Grab, Valle Cafuk.
Sad Grab, Valle Cafuk.

We took Vans Germany skater Valle Cafuk and Vans flow trash Peter Buikema for a run at one of Berlin’s many parks to put words into action and weartest the Elijah Berle pro.

Both were surprised by the way the shoes felt right out of the box, cupsoles often need a bit to break in but these worked immediately and allowed them both to skate and feel safe do the protection a cupsole gives.

In the end, Peter even learned a variation of an Elijah Berle signature, doing his first Crooked grind Nollie flip out! Action speaks louder than words and learning new tricks is a sure sign of approval. So press play if you haven’t already and watch the Vans Elijah Berle Pro in action.

Valle after the sesh.
Valle after the sesh.

Thank you to Vans for the support!

Photos by Steffen Grap
Text By Roland Hoogwater

Ryan Lay is doing the lords work, spreading the gospel of skateboarding in hard to live in places.

Palestine is not new anymore to skating, with people like Chris Jones doing work for SkatePal and now Lay stepping up. Ryan has been using his skills and credibility as a pro to teach children and in turn, shaping the minds of young people.

It might be a cliché but a healthy skate scene can start with you.

Sebastiaan Vijverberg, Rob Maatman, Justin Wagener, Robbin de Wit, Pascal Moelaert, Patrick Reins, Woody Hoogendijk, Jelle Maatman, Remco Stolze, Bert Roeterdink, Nick Bax, Bram Schlangen, Jesse Voerman, Billy Hoogendijk, Alex van Zwietering, Jan-Willem den Haan are featured in Ziggy Schaap’s newest video “The End”.

The title of this video is not related to Birdhouse in any way. Instead, it is a way to get some footage out before it ages like milk. Joking…joking there is some really top-notch stuff in here press play to see what we mean.

This summer made a new friend named Benny Urban! He is a good skater but an even better snowboarder, supported by Vans and SHRN he rips through white powder and grey concrete. This summer he moved into our fair city of Berlin for some sunny sessions.

We saw Benny at our local park and started talking, he was doing a course at UDK (Berlin’s leading art school) and was trying things out. One of these tries is now being presented to you.

Two months after our initial hello this edit was born and we asked Benny to tell us in his own words what it is all about and why he made it together with the people he made it with.

“Finding a home away from home even if it’s just temporary was a merge that has driven me these past summer months. Ending up in Berlin I tried to find something that gave my presence a purpose besides just getting to know the city. Turned out I started documenting street skateboarding of my close friends and Vans Team rider Conny Mirbach and Jan Hoffmann. The result is „BRLO”. A short film, entirely shot on Kodak Super 8 in Berlin. Hope you enjoy!”

At first when I started the Giddy series I wanted every one of them to have a different theme but in the end, I think they all end up looking almost similar to one another, same style of music same vibe.

Romain Batard is back with one of the most interesting video series in skateboarding. And ever since he delivered that quote in our interview with him he has been steadily delivering Giddy’s with a stronger sense of concept and individuality.

Steve Malet kills it in number 8! He is one of Paris’ most exciting skaters out there right now even though he is not even originally from France. But Steve is only one reason and this Giddy truly delivers from the skating, the editing, the song choice and the special effects. It is a good rounded out piece of work!

The hottest day of the year in Berlin was not even 24hours ago and I’m sitting on my balcony in a reminiscent mood, thinking about the longest and strongest summer I’ve had in my life – so far. Yet, the summer is just at its peak and there is only more to come. A lot of you guys probably agree that there is something extremely magical about the summer in Berlin, and my honest opinion is, that there is no city in the world more charming than the Spree-metropolis.

The ideal soundtrack for this article is also the title of the story. “Both Ends Burning” by Roxy Music – Listen to it here, while strolling through this article.  As far as i know, a little Bryan Ferry here and there never hurt anybody.

This article is featuring Ace & Tate’s brand new frame the “Billy” Thanks to everyone involved, we love you all!

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This is not supposed to be a top-ten list to convince you to visit Berlin. Instead, I offer you viewpoints that will make you and your friends curious about travelling here, so you can come and make up your own mind about this European metropolis. Anyway, there are more than ten good reasons to visit Berlin. So, no need to count, is there?

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If you live in Berlin and over time you managed to gain a couple of friends outside the city, most likely at some point during your friendship you will receive a message or a call from one of them. Take that call, answer the message and welcome your friends. They will take you through your own city and show it to you from a different perspective and a different mindset. Here is your chance to have a little vacation while still feeling at home.

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Give your friends a while to discover Berlin on their own. You need your time and so do they. Every friendship benefits from having a good balance between seeing each other and not seeing each other. No need to reinvent the wheel here. Give them the keys to your bike or car, while you recharge your own batteries.

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Bikes… when talking about bikes, you will need one! It is the perfect mode of transportation, second only to your skateboard. But sharing a bike will only last for so long. So suggest to your friends that they get a cheap rental bike, it only costs a few Euro’s a day and there is a bike rental service on almost every corner.

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 “Tell your friends, to get with my friends
And we can be friends.”

Biggie Smalls.

Let them meet your friends if they are not already chummy enough with your crew. Being overconfident is never a good thing and meeting new people will take a bit of getting used to. Presumably, during this process, you will learn a few new things here and there. And for most parties the rule is, the more people present, the better the chance that the party will last long into the night. “One’s a company, two’s a crowd and three’s a party” – right!?

PLACE_ace&tate_preview24In Berlin you can drink in the streets, there are “Späti’s” on every corner and you can get a full meal for only a few Euro’s at a Falafel-House, or a Currywurst-Bude. This is not big news to anyone but somehow it is always a topic when meeting foreigners. There are only a handful of countries in the world where you do not have to watch out for police whilst enjoying a beer on the sidewalk. Besides the drinking it is nearly impossible to stumble upon really bad food, the competition is just too strong. If you still find yourself with food poisoning in bed, you probably didn’t drink enough “Berliner Luft”.

PLACE_ace&tate_preview2PLACE_ace&tate_preview13PLACE_ace&tate_preview_neu4I say all that to say this – take it easy on the partying. There is so much more to see. Although we just talked about the freedom you will have during your stay, to really enjoy Berlin for more than just a day and night you should try and be a little responsible. No one wants to see you totally hammered on the Warschauer Brücke at 09:00 o’clock in the morning.

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“Both ends burning while you’re counting sheep – Hell, who can sleep in this heat this night?”

Bryan Ferry.

Berlin’s hotter than Cairo/Egypt at the moment, make sure to show your friends a few lakes around Berlin/Brandenburg and give your body and soul some rest.

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Every trip comes to an end at some point. Do not feel bad about sending your friends home, we all have this one buddy who is trying to overstay their welcome.

All Photos by Danny Sommerfeld / Words by Daniel Pannemann.

To be young during summer in Berlin, a lovely time, a moment to remember. Paul Herrmann documented his friends and their friends for his newest Berlin edit.

Featuring:

Moritz alte, Luis Waterkamp,Valentin Cafuk, Julian Ruhe, Johannes schirrmeister, Steffen Grap, London Lee, Anton Jäger, Jun Kummer, Wanja Huth, Denzi Bul,Wladimir Hoppe, Arne Stein, Jan Hoffmann, Konrad Waldmann & Basti Eckert.

Music by:
1st Song – Brat Star
2nd Song – MCNZI

In our long sessions scouring the internet, you come across a lot of stuff, some of it seems boring at first but in fact are significant at second glance.

There are two links here. The first one is a project by Taeyoon Choi, who used skateboarding as a common reference point to talk about electricity and the way that it moves through circuits. Science is translated via skateboarding into something relatable, something you can understand and work with. Using a common reference to translate ideas is not an uncommon practice but it is worth noting that “WE” as a culture have made it into the fabric of everyday life.

Click this link to read Taeyoon Choi’s full article.

Our second find is a lecture video about the “Emotional Attachments to the Historic Urban Environment”. An academic style lecture and Q&A session which deals with “our” attachment to skate spots like London’s Southbank (Long Live Southbank is listed as a contributor.)  and the Vancouver skate plaza.

skating_circuits

At first, this certainly feels like a “harder to watch” video, it has no entertainment value apart from some custard colored pants. But it does have a really strong educational value which can be very useful for skateboarding’s community organizers and city planners. It is a great video for those that need information and in a sense ammunition when dealing with local government or authority figures. If you are well versed in terms like the ones in this video you are more likely to get positive results when it comes to, protecting your spots from skate stoppers or getting a “good” skatepark or plaza built in your environment.

Click the link to get to the website of the SFU.
Select the video “Rebecca Madgin, Why Does the Past Matter?”

Why is it important to note these things? Because it shows us that we have moved out of our niche and into light as far as the debate around public space and learning goes. Noting those developments can open doors for us all, whether it be in school or in the public sphere.

 

potential

 

All illustrations taken from Taeyoon Choi’s “Skating the Circuits” piece for Avant.org
Special thanks to Thomas Mader for helping us find pieces like these.